Dr. Ming-Wei Wu is now a solo practitioner who performs inpatient and outpatient surgeries.

A licensed Doctor of Osteopathy, wound care expert Dr. Ming-Wei Wu maintains a thriving private practice in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also a spokesman for research and development company Healthpoint Biotherapeutics, he promotes the enzymatic ointment Santyl®.

Officially known as Collagenase Santyl® Ointment, this product is used in debriding severe burns and chronic dermal (skin) ulcers. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Santyl® uses collagenese enzymes to liquefy the fibers within necrotic (dead) tissue. The dead tissue then separates from the wound and washes away smoothly with the routine wound cleansing process.

Debridement, or removal of dead tissue and its related debris, has proven a critical step in the healing of a wound. Santyl® supports this process, as it makes the dead tissue easier to remove while preserving the nearby granulation tissue that helps the wound to heal. Santyl® can be applied at home by the patient, making it a convenient as well as an effective tool in wound care.

Dr. Ming-Wei Wu has been a surgeon and clinical doctor for many years. Today, he works as a Clinical Associate at Touro University in Las Vegas, where he specializes in surgery related to wound care. Dr. Wu is also a proponent of Santyl, a collagenase enzyme ointment from Healthpoint. We recently spoke with him about Santyl and what it does.

INTERVIEWER: We’re pleased to have you with us today. You’re a spokesperson for this new product, Santyl. What is it?

DMW: Santyl is an ointment that helps to dissolve dead tissue in wounds. By removing the dead tissue, we encourage growth of new, healthy tissue.

INT: What kinds of specific applications does it have?

DMW: It’s a fairly versatile product, but of course it’s for external use only. In particular, it’s effective at treating skin ulcers and severe burns… basically any time there’s going to be nonliving tissue in the wound.

INT: And can anyone just go out and buy a tube of Santyl, for example, to keep in a medical kit?

DMW: Santyl is a powerful enzyme-based treatment, so no. It’s restricted to prescription use only.